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Chapter 3: The Shooting Modes
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ntil now I have discussed the basics of setting up the camera for quick shots, relying heavily on features such as AUTO mode to take pictures whose settings are controlled mostly by the camera’s automation. As with other sophisticated digital cameras, though, with the PowerShot S100 there is a large range of options available for setting the camera, particularly for taking still images. One of the main goals of this book is to explain the broad range of features available. To do this, we need to turn our attention to two subjects—shooting modes and the Shooting menu options. First, I’ll discuss the shooting modes. Whenever you set out to record still images, you need to select one of the available shooting modes: AUTO, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Scene, Creative Filters, or Custom. (The only other mode available is for movies.) So far, we have worked with the AUTO and Program modes. Now we will look at the others, after some review of the first two.
AUTO Mode
I’ve already discussed this shooting mode. This is the one you probably want to select if you just need to have the camera ready for a quick shot, maybe in an environment with fast-paced events when you won’t have much time to fuss with settings of things such as ISO, white balance, aperture, or shutter speed. To set this mode, turn the mode dial, on top of the camera 47
PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO THE CANON POWERSHOT S100
to the right of the shutter button, to the green label with the word “AUTO” in it. When you select this mode, the camera makes quite a few decisions for you and limits your options in several ways. For example, you can’t set ISO or white balance to any value other than Auto, and you can’t choose the metering method or use exposure bracketing. You can, however, use Tracking AF, which is discussed in Chapter 4. To turn on that feature in AUTO mode, just press the exposure compensation button (top direction button) once. The
U
ntil now I have discussed the basics of setting up the camera for quick shots, relying heavily on features such as AUTO mode to take pictures whose settings are controlled mostly by the camera’s automation. As with other sophisticated digital cameras, though, with the PowerShot S100 there is a large range of options available for setting the camera, particularly for taking still images. One of the main goals of this book is to explain the broad range of features available. To do this, we need to turn our attention to two subjects—shooting modes and the Shooting menu options. First, I’ll discuss the shooting modes. Whenever you set out to record still images, you need to select one of the available shooting modes: AUTO, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Scene, Creative Filters, or Custom. (The only other mode available is for movies.) So far, we have worked with the AUTO and Program modes. Now we will look at the others, after some review of the first two.
AUTO Mode
I’ve already discussed this shooting mode. This is the one you probably want to select if you just need to have the camera ready for a quick shot, maybe in an environment with fast-paced events when you won’t have much time to fuss with settings of things such as ISO, white balance, aperture, or shutter speed. To set this mode, turn the mode dial, on top of the camera 47
PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO THE CANON POWERSHOT S100
to the right of the shutter button, to the green label with the word “AUTO” in it. When you select this mode, the camera makes quite a few decisions for you and limits your options in several ways. For example, you can’t set ISO or white balance to any value other than Auto, and you can’t choose the metering method or use exposure bracketing. You can, however, use Tracking AF, which is discussed in Chapter 4. To turn on that feature in AUTO mode, just press the exposure compensation button (top direction button) once. The